I’ve had a 144hz monitor for awhile now, but I was just watching a stream and they went over changing your refresh rate in the windows / nvidia settings to match 144hz. I went to check it, and I did notice that my refresh rate for my 144hz monitor was set to 60hz in the Windows Display Adapter/Monitor properties, as well as my Nvidia settings.
I have been playing Overwatch like this since I got the monitor, but in game I have everything set to 1920x1080(144*), and in game shows that I am running at 144 FPS. Is it possible to be running 60hz refresh rate and still obtain 144FPS, or whats going on here? I was under the impression that if the monitor wasn’t set to 144hz, then I wouldn’t get 144FPS.
So anyways, I set the Windows Display to 144hz refresh rate while I was watching Netflix and everything was okay. I booted up Overwatch and while sitting in the menus I immediately noticed the screen with flickering white bars, periodically.
Here is my current system specs:
EVGA 980ti SC+
ASUS VG248QE (hooked up through DisplayPort)
ASUS ROG Maximus Hero VIII
My game is installed in a separate internal SSD
16 GB RAM
I am running factory clock settings on all my parts. If there is any detail you need that I am missing, please let me know.
Firmly check your cable connections first and if possible swap the cable to test for problems.
Otherwise try resetting your graphic card settings back to default:
This is a known nvidia issue. If you have a video running at 60Hz on the second monitor while gaming in windows mode of any kind of the main it will make your main monitor 60hz as well. The only fix i know of as of right now is either turn off the video or run the game in fullscreen mode. https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1024513/geforce-drivers/dual-144hz-60hz-monitors-locked-at-60hz-watching-video-while-gaming/
I did swap my cables from one monitor to the other, there was no change with that.
I mentioned all my parts are stock. my Video card is factory overclocked (it’s an SC+ from evga). Setting to factory settings will not do anything.
Interesting. I do run in borderless, so I’ll give running full screen a try, as well as running with a single monitor (which would be unfortunate).
Thanks for the post
Don’t use borderless! It’s killing your frames.
Well I never actually dip below 144 (it rapidly goes between 143/144), unless I am sitting at the menus which stays at 60.
All my settings are set to low, so I don’t think it’s killing the frames.
I was more concerned about the 60hz in Windows display settings and potentially not making use of my 144hz monitor, even though I am still getting 144fps in game.
I was also weirded out that when I set 144hz refresh rate in windows that I started getting white lines flickering on my 144hz monitor while having Overwatch open.
If you were running on borderless windowed mode then you were getting 60fps, if you were on fullscreen then 144fps. Now that you changed the windows display setting you are on 144fps regardless.
While in Windows borderless mode the frames per second that was reading on Fraps and my in game FPS counter was at 144 FPS.
I haven’t actually adjusted out of borderless, and my PC can’t function with 144hz refresh rate in windows due to the white lines.
Are you saying that even though the FPS counters are showing me that I am getting 144 FPS, I am not?
Your computer is doing 144fps your monitor however is not because in borderless windowed mode it uses the windows refresh rate.
1 Like
You can run Overwatch at a higher refresh rate, but it has to be fullscreen. Also, turn off vsync if it’s on.
FPS and refresh rate are very different. Refresh rate is only a potential- it can go above or below it, and isn’t indicative of anything you’re -actually- getting. Yes, you’re getting 144fps, but if your monitor is still reporting a refresh rate of 60 you’re only reducing input lag, not actually increasing your frames visible to the eye.
1 Like